Nintendo Readying An Array Of Games For 3Ds Device

Nintendo Co. 7974.OK +1.77% may
not be releasing a new videogame console this year, but it is preparing a bevy
of games for its 3DS hand-held gaming device.

The Japanese videogame company said
Wednesday that it is preparing new installments in its popular "Legend of
Zelda," "Super Mario Bros." and "Donkey Kong"
franchises. Each of those games, which have long been exclusive titles produced
for Nintendo's devices, should help its products stand out during the holidays,
the company said.

"What the consumer wants is
great new experiences, they want great game-play that's unique, fresh and
different, and they want to be engaged," said Reggie Fils-Aime, head of
Nintendo of America. "In the end it comes down to software."

So far, Nintendo's plan appears
to be working. Mr. Fils-Aime said that Nintendo has sold 20 million copies of
games in the U.S. for the 3DS, whose marquee feature is a screen that can show
three-dimensional images without the need for specialized glasses.

In addition, he said the 3DS
hardware is selling at a pace roughly a million units ahead of the original DS
dual-screen hand-held console, which was released in 2004

The 3DS got off to a slow start,Ebook Converter
and initial sales were disappointing. But they picked up after Nintendo slashed
its U.S. price by 32%. The company also began releasing more videogames for the
hand-held device, which attracted more customers to the platform.

Mr. Fils-Aime said sales of the
15 games Nintendo has developed for the device, such as "Super Mario 3D
Land," have risen 55% from a year earlier so far in 2013.

He said customers also are buying
more games directly from Nintendo, through what the company calls the eShop, a
built-in storefront for the 3DS that sells and delivers games online. Nintendo
said 11% of sales of all Nintendo 3DS titles are coming from the eShop. That's
up from last August, when "New Super Mario Bros. 2" became the first
game to be sold in the eShop. At the time, the eShop's sales of that title
represented 5% of total revenue.

Some games have shown signs of
performing particularly well, Mr. Fils-Aime said. "Luigi's Mansion: Dark
Moon," in which gamers control Luigi, a Super Mario Bros. character, as he
hunts ghosts in various buildings, has sold 415,000 units in the U.S. so far,
Mr. Fils-Aime said. And it is on track to sell more than a million units by the
end of the year, he added.

"Luigi's Mansion drove
hardware for us," said Mr. Fils-Aime, adding that popular titles customer
buy throughout the year are a bedrock of Nintendo's strategy for success.

The new games will likely fall
into that category as well. The as-yet untitled new Zelda game, for example,
will hark back to one of the most-popular versions created in 1991, potentially
drawing in older customers who remember the game. It is expected to be released
this holiday season.

Nintendo also will also be
reaching into its basket of older games. "Donkey Kong Country
Returns," a popular title for its Wii motion-controlled console, will be updated
with new features and released for the 3DS in May.